Danavir Sarria

In the hyper-competitive fitness market, there are few who stand above Athlean-X.

With almost 4 million Youtube subscribers, it’s one of the most popular channels on all of Youtube, while also being the #1 channel for men who want to train and look like an athlete.

But in a world where some famous Youtuber’s can still be dirt-poor, Athlean-X has stood above the crowd and learned how to monetize their audience to generate over $10,000,000 per year.

The good news?

You can learn exactly how they do it today. That’s because inside of this post, I will reverse-engineer their entire conversion strategy so you can use them for yourself to explode your business or your client’s businesses.

The first rule of digital marketing for information marketers is to always collect email addresses before trying to sell any of your products. At least, that’s what most people are taught to do.

It’s a great piece of advice.

However, Athlean-X decided to do the opposite by promoting their “direct response quiz” instead of the typical free lead magnet. As you can see, they use the very first line of their video descriptions to do this.

If you don’t know what a “direct response quiz” is, it’s basically a questionnaire that visitors can fill out to direct them to the specific product they need based on their answers.

This is game-changing for website visitors because it gives them a level of “artificial” customization since the quiz helps them nail down which product is best for them in their particular situation.

It’s also a game-changer for the business because it delivers the right product to the right prospect at the right time, automatically. This is the holy grail of marketing.

That combination of customization and automation boosts conversion rates enough to the point that it and allows for Athlean-X to build a large list of paying customers directly from Youtube instead of having to go the long way around by trying to acquire free email subscribers first and then selling later.

This means…

Less freebie-seekers to deal with

Faster influxes of cash from new customers

In other words, it’s a direct response marketer’s dream.

Keep in mind though, that his traffic source consists of Youtube subscribers who already know, like and trust him. Furthermore, all of his products cost under $100. This combination of attention, trust, and low barrier to entry offers makes selling upfront possible and worthwhile.

The simplest and quickest way to making a ton of sales is to model after the big boys in your space. In Athlean-X’s case, this means modeling after the Beachbody’s of the world with their own unique, heart-pumping product trailer.

It’s a strategy they use in every landing page, regardless of the product they sell. And it serves as the main sales message on all them as well. These trailers cover the fundamental sales points you would expect in any infomercial-like trailer…

A clear, understandable promise

A straightforward USP

Lots of compelling proof

Stacking of features & benefits

Emotion stimulating images & audio

No need for a huge long-form sales letter when a great trailer does most of the work.

In fact, in a visual market like fitness, it would be dumb to do anything that was only text-based. In every case, it’s better to be show than it is to tell. It’s also always better to be exciting than it is to be boring.

Athlean-X obviously knows this and executes on it flawlessly.

Tip #3: The “Greedy Value Stack” Technique That Transforms Regular Offers Into Must Have Bargains Without Massive Discounting

One infomercial secret that’s been proven to work every time is positioning your offer as an amazing bargain.

The most popular way to do this is with big, Macy’s-like discounts.

However, Athlean-X found another way to achieve the same results by focusing on extreme or “greedy’ value stacking. They use it throughout their landing pages and put a ton of emphasis on those sections as well.

One big example is the sheer number of workouts they put in a plan…

The truth is, no one really needs 60 workouts in a single program.

However, the fact that they get 60 workout when most other workout program may promise anywhere between 10-15 workouts for the same price sounds like an incredible deal. It also covers the “what if I get bored” objection most workout programs face. On paper, it’s not logical to think you to think you could get bored with that many different type of workouts.

The craziest part?

They apply the same strategy to their actual bonuses as well.

Over 105 meal options?

30 additional exercises?

6 weeks of targeted ab workouts?

That’s a lot of stuff, especially when you consider the fact that bonus packages from many other similar products tend to only include maybe 2-4 extra workouts and a nutrition calendar at best.

When you combine a core product that goes to extreme lengths to literally out-deliver their competitors with a sweet, exclusive “bonus package” that also out-delivers competitors bonuses, Athlean-X successfully triggers one of the primary triggers in human persuasion…

Greed.

At least in the context of getting a lot more than you usually do for the same price.

Years ago when I bought my first Athlean-X training program, I got an upsell I wasn’t expecting.

In most information product funnels, you usually go from one information product to the next. In the Athlean-X funnel though, you go from buying a workout program to being offered supplements.

That was the best upsell sequence I’ve seen from any information product company at the time and ever since.

It just makes so much sense.

If you just bought a workout program, why do you need another one within seconds of adding in your credit card information? It’s just not optimal. The best upsell sequences will always go from front end product to upsells that improve the experience of what you just bought.

Technically, you can find a way to do this with certain types of workout programs.

However, the most effective way to do this in fitness is to couple workout programs with supplements. Just about every person understands and assumes that adding in supplements to a workout program can help them achieve even better results, faster.

It’s also takes just minutes a day while barely lifting a finger to apply.

So that’s exactly what Athlean-X did in the upsell sequence I was in.

I went from purchasing a $79 workout program to being offered a $120+ supplement stack. The awesome part about this funnel is the escalation in price from $79 to $120+.

That’s $200+ in potential revenue from just 1 upsell.

And it was only possible because they went outside of the information product box and started to act more like a regular ecommerce business by offering real, physical products to take their workouts to the next level.

Tip #5: The “Productized Feature” Trick That Turns Boring Product Details Into Exciting Features Worth 10X Its Original Value

Another “trick” infomercials use all the time, especially with workout programs, is elevating the value of every individual workout you get in their programs. So it’s not just getting 20 workouts, but getting 20 exclusive workouts you won’t find anywhere else.

The questions is, how do you do this?

The answer is productization.

There is a huge difference between fat loss workout #2 versus the Rapid Fire Workout, which is the first…and only… 100 RPM (reps per minute) workout from Athlean-X. As you can see, doing this instantly 10X’s the original value of what would normally be just another boring product feature.

Here’s an example of how Athlean-X uses this same concept to sell their Athlean-Xero program.

The coolest part is that this concept can be applied to any feature.

All that is required is giving that particular feature a good name and a description. In the case of workouts, that description just needs to contain an emotionally compelling pitch of what you’ll be doing in the workout.

The more special and exciting it sounds, the better.

Tip #6: The Instant “VIP Welcome Email” That Practically Doubles Your Revenue Earned Per Customer Without Being Salesy Or Pushy

In a world where everyone is afraid to send more sales emails to their subscribers, Athlean-X does the opposite both ruthlessly and flawlessly.

The moment you buy a workout program from Athlean-X, they will automatically put you on a “VIP” list and instantly send you an email with the goal to immediately cross-sell you.

The best part about this email though is the way they actually do it. You see, it’s not just a “go buy more relevant stuff” email. Instead, they use the subject line and lead of the email to position it as a “special bonus”/special “benefits” email that only “Team Athlean” customers get.

This sneaky positioning move, combined with the choosing the perfect add-on offers, makes what would normally be an annoying sales pitch actually feel like a valuable announcement that would help me get better and faster results with what I just bought.

And because of the way it’s positioned, there’s no need to wait to send this.

Your customers will actually want to get this type of email sooner rather than later. How do I know? Imagine, paying almost $100 for a 6 week fat loss program only to find out on week 4 that you could of gotten even better results if you had the supplements that could be added to the program.

In a situation like that, waiting to sell actually becomes a disservice to your customers. So don’t wait. Just sell as soon as possible.

That is an example of email marketing at its finest.

Tip #7: The “Catalog Home Page” That Turns Your Highest Visited Page Into A Cash Cow

Most content-driven businesses use the home page as a glorified opt-in page to build their email list.

Not Athlean-X…

Instead, they treat themselves more like a traditional e-commerce business would by using the home page to display all of their products up front.

From that page, you can then click “Learn More” to go to each product’s landing page or you can go straight to the shopping cart if you click on “Buy Now”.

This is yet another example of their push for building a customer list instead of free subscriber list whenever possible. And even though I don’t have their exact sales numbers here, I’m pretty confident that this move delivers big time profits for them.

That’s because the home page will almost always become your site’s most popular page.

So with sub-$100 offers that convert, even though the page probably won’t have highest conversion rate, the sheer amount of traffic their home page would convert enough prospects into paid customers to the point it’s way more valuable than giving away a free lead magnet.

With that said, if you look above the fold…

You will notice that there’s a very important pattern…

The above-the-fold section is dedicated to promoting Athlean-X’s best selling products. This includes his Athlean-X series, his membership site (Athlean-NXT), and his supplements on the top right, sticking out.

In other words, this is not just a catalog on a home page.

They took the time to optimize it by setting up their direct response quiz up first, followed by their best selling products in order.

Tip #8: How To 10X Your Sales By Using The Same Secret The World’s Greatest Living Copywriter Personally Used To Beat Controls Almost Every Single Time

Athlean-X’s landing pages are short.

However, just because it’s short, doesn’t mean you can leave out the #1 most important part of your sales page… proof. Which is why Athlean-X didn’t just make sure to stock up on testimonials, but also physically putting it near the top of their main landing page.

This is key because the act of having proof as high as possible on your landing page creates a much higher possibility for your prospect to see if before they get the urge to leave the page.

Notice that it’s not just 1 type of proof, but 2.

The first is the obvious before/after testimonials that fitness companies are known for. You can’t tell from here, but that’s actually a slide-show with multiple testimonials. In addition, there is also a link to a page dedicated to proof.

The second type is a celebrity endorsement. In this case, David Wright of the New York Mets, which Jeff Cavalier (founder of Athlean-X) was a trainer for. This particular endorsement especially made sense because of his company’s “train like an athlete, look like an athlete” message.

Athlean-X flawlessly executes on one of the simplest catalog creating principles…

Find 1 specific problem and create 1 solution for it…

Take these for example…

Athlean Xero = No-Equipment Workouts

Max/Shred = 100% Fat Loss Workout

Max/Size = 100% Muscle Building Workout

Ultimate Arms = Arm Building Workouts

Athlean-XX For Women = Body Transformation For Women

Athlean TNT = BodyPart Add-On’s To Existing Workouts

All of them follow that one basic rule.

This allows Athlean-X to create an exhaustive catalog of workout programs, which in turns means more total revenue because the average customer will eventually run into each problem and will want to buy the solution for each.

So once you buy a product from Athlean-X, that doesn’t mean you won’t be seeing anymore promotions. If fact, you’ll actually be sold even harder.

Here’s what I mean…

That’s a picture of all the offers you can buy INSIDE the login portal for the product you just bought. Hence why I’m going to call this an “ABC Portal Page” since they follow the “Always Be Closing” rule used by salesmen to the T.

On the left, you can purchase any of their other workout programs.

On the right, you get an ad that promotes their supplements.

So these are not full fledged sales pitches. Instead, they just strategically placed their other offers to integrate with your online portal experience.

Tip #12: The “Anti-Unisex” Technique That Can Drive Your Sales Through The Roof Without Having To Build Completely New Products

In most businesses, the goal is to get sales from both men and women.

The problem with this though is that it can water down the message, especially if you’re in a market like fitness where there can be extremes. Men tend to want very masculine messages, while women need a message that lets them know something was specifically made for them.

Enter, Athlean-XX For Women.

This is landing page specifically targeting the Athlean-X training system for women.

As you can see, everything is different. There is no mention of athletes, gone is all the masculine messaging, and there’s even a new host!

In other words, instead of trying to make the original Athlean-X training system for both men and women, they created one landing page specifically for women and one landing page specifically for men.

This gives them the chance to maximize sales from both gender’s without alienating Athlean-X’s regular hardcore messaging.

To take this a step further though, they’ve even build a separate 317k subscriber Youtube channel to funnel traffic to the segmented landing page.

Tip #13: The Simple, Low-Maintenance Email Marketing Strategy That Builds Goodwill With Your Subscribers AND Boosts Sales At The Same Time

If you’re a content creator, this is the email strategy for you.

Jeff Cavalier uploads about 3 videos a week to the Athlean-X channel. Sometimes even more depending on the situation. This gives them more than enough content to keep his base happy.

So instead of trying to complicate their email marketing efforts by creating exclusive email content, they focus promoting their videos to their email list.

By consistently promoting their Youtube videos to their email list, they build goodwill with them without having to use up any resources to create new content. This means more resources to grow their number #1 channel, Youtube.

However, don’t be fooled.

Athlean-X will never not sell if they can help it.

So at the end of every email, they will pitch something. This happens in the P.S. section after they’ve already the free video they wanted to promote. Now while this won’t exactly lead to a flood of sales, it does allow them to sell without losing any of the goodwill they’ve built up.

The Key Takeaways

Athlean-X is a little known powerhouse in the fitness market that’s quietly raking in millions because they know what they’re doing.

And now, you can leap-frog your success by borrowing, modifying, and adopt their strategies into your business or your client’s businesses.

So with that said, here are the 13 key takeaways

If you have a large source of traffic and your product is under $100, go directly for the sale instead of trying to build an email list filled with free subscribers. Ideally, you will use a quiz for this so you can offer the right product to the right prospect.

Whenever possible, use an emotionally compelling product trailer to do the heavy selling on your landing pages instead of relying on just text. Never tell when you can show. Never be boring when you can be exciting.

Boost the “bargain value” of your products by offering way more than the industry norm. Take it to the absolute edge and focus a section of your landing page of it so you can make it a big selling point.

Combine information products and physical products into the same funnel sequence. The goal is to offer products that go hand-in-hand so that it becomes a no-brainer upgrade.

Take the core features of your product and productize them. Give them their own individual names, positioning, and benefits. Hype up the feature to make it feel like a huge bonus when you buy the product.

Once someone buys a product, take the chance during your welcome email to cross-sell them something else. Make sure the cross-sells are logical next-steps or upgrades for the product they just bought.

Turn your home page into a catalog page like you would a regular, physical product ecommerce store. You’ll instantly get more sales since your home page will most likely be the highest visited page on your site.

Always lead with your strongest pieces of proof. Bonus points if you can stack them on your landing pages so that there’s no way a visitor wouldn’t believe your claims. Unquestionable proof is the key to making sales, period.

Even if you’re not a media buying guru, always re-target visitors who visited your landing pages, but did not buy. Make sure to re-target them in multiple channels, not just one. These are the easiest and simplest sales you will ever make anywhere.

By creating one solution to solve one problem, you will build a catalog of products that will compel your visitors to eventually buy all of your products. That’s because you’ll be creating hyper-targeted products that all connect with each other and solve the problems most your customers will end up having on their journey.

Offer your customers more cross-sells on the pages where you deliver your actual product. This will give your customers a chance to upgrade whenever they wish. And since they are already customers, they will not need long marketing sequences to buy your other products.

Create a landing page for men and a separate landing page for women. This will lead to a hyper-targeted message that will maximize conversions for both markets, while also expanding your market when you would only have normally targeted just men or women.

Use email to promote all the long-form content you create on other channels, while also including a P.S. that contains a call to action to a product at the same time. These emails can be sent to both your free subscriber and paid customer lists at the same time since they will be relevant to both.

Need Help Applying These Proven-To-Work Strategies Into Your Business?

If you loved this article and need someone to help you apply these strategies into your business as soon as possible, lets talk.

Struggling to come up with catchy email subject lines that can stand out in a crowded inbox?

You’re not alone.

I bet if you look in your inbox right now, you’ll have 50 emails there from all sorts of people and 95% of them will have boring email subject lines. The type that make you yawn and remind you how much life is better in the real world than in your inbox.

So if you’re having trouble writing really exciting email subject lines, then this is the post for you.

Below, I give you an entire swipe file of 144 email subject line templates you can use today.

These are not your typical subject lines.

In fact, some may even be controversial.

However, they will catch the eye of your subscribers like nothing else, no matter how crowded their inbox is.

Benefit Emails

Benefit emails are the bread & butter of any email marketing practice. They can be used for newsletters, direct sales pitches, or anything else you want to send your list.

They work because people are selfish. We only care about ourselves. So if you send out an email that doesn’t explicitly or implicitly say we’re going to get something positive out of it, then why would anyone ever open it?

Good email subject lines are benefit driven.

With that said, it’s very easy to fall into the typical trap of being boring with benefit-driven emails. That’s because they are very straight-forward and basic. Now, while some benefit-driven email subject lines will always be interesting now matter how many times they are used, you will need to spice it up a little for others.

This can be done in a lot of ways.

One is to provoke curiosity. Another is to use a benefit that your target audience really wants. A third is to focus on what people don’t want. A fourth is to use power words or just wordsmith the subject line effectively.

There’s many other things you can do to.

But instead of letting you go at it on your own, here’s 12 benefit-driven email subject lines you can use today to make sure you get it done right.

How To [Desired Result] In [Timeframe]EX: How to burn fat in 30min/day

Controversial Emails

The first thing you’ll probably hear about is something controversial.

Why?

Because controversy grabs people’s attention. A good enough controversy can stop anyone in their tracks because it peaks their curiosity.

With email though, you don’t just want to talk about little controversies. You want to talk about big ones. The ones that, if true, would change how people think about a certain topic.

It’s usually delivered in a huge statement.

And depending on the topic, it can be extremely divisive.

Because of this, controversial email subject lines tend to short and straightforward, yet alarming. They encapsulate an emotion about a topic in just a handful of words. And you can tell who’s involved.

What really drives home a controversial email subject line though is the topic. It needs to be a broad topic that you’re either crusading for or against. You’re there to put down the naysayers or to reveal the truth.

The goal?

To strength relationships with those that agree, repelling everyone who don’t, and persuade those are on the fence to join your side. It’s more about connecting to people on an ideological level as it is about selling.

The Death Of [Topic]
EX: The death of email marketing

The War Against [Topic]
EX: The war against meat eaters

The Great [Topic] Hoax Of [Year]
EX: The great fat loss hoax of 2017

The Truth About [Topic]
EX: The truth about the banking industry

My Problem With [Topic]
EX: My problem with email popups

My Big [Topic] Mistake
EX: My big copywriting mistake

Why I Hate [Topic]
EX: Why I hate social media

The Case Against [Topic]
EX: The case against the gig economy

The [Topic] Conspiracy
EX: The vegan conspiracy

The End Of [Topic]
EX: The end of America

[Topic] Armageddon
EX: Marketing armageddon

In Defense Of [Controversial Topic]
EX: In defense of crooked politicians

Categories To Fill In:
[Topic]
[Year]
[Controversial Topic]

Authority Emails

It’s no surprise that seeing the name of an authority will get the attention of anyone who respects them.

Every market has authorities, experts, or influencers within them. Even sub-niches have them. They will have some kind of audience, a huge amount of trust, and following that really loves them. They can big like Steve Jobs is to entrepreneurship or small(er) like Gary Vaynerchuk is to social media.

It’s not just market-related authorities though.

You can use famous influencers from history like Sun Tzu, Confucius, Nostradamus, Alexander The Great, Julius Ceaser, Benjamin Franklin…etc You can use famous movie heroes like Iron Man, Batman, Harry Potter, and more.

Any influential person, whether real or fictitious counts.

Along with influential people, authority email subject lines also use sources of information like ancient texts or modern documents. A couple of examples of this include the bible, the Vedas, the declaration of independence, and more.

These are naturally compelling since they are important in some way, shape, or form.

Your goal?

To borrow the name of the person or document so you can teach something.

By doing so, you will naturally create a curiosity peaking email subject line. Plus, you will end up writing an email with interesting content since you’re relating “boring” information with an influencer that means something to you.

Weird Emails

Weird emails are just like what name says.

Weird.

They make sense, but at the same time they don’t. They don’t sound like something a person would put in an email subject line. In fact, they are probably the closest thing to a tabloid headline there is without actually being a tabloid headline.

So why use a weird email subject line?

Attention.

For the most part, people will be using very standard email subject lines. They aren’t interesting in any way. They are either very neutral or boring in tone.

Now, you may not like weird email subject lines and neither do you have to. However, you can’t really ignore them.

With that said, they aren’t complicated to write.

All you have to do is “push” or exaggerate the emotion of the topic by a bit. You can also just use weird sayings or just say something random, but using the keywords that fit your market.

Again, it doesn’t have to make complete sense like a regular, benefit-driven email subject line will.

It’s more of a zig-zag email subject line.

You zig with one understandable idea, but you zag by positioning it in an unusual way.

Pop Culture Emails

We all love pop culture.

Celebrities are everywhere and we love to consume anything they make. It doesn’t matter if it’s a book, movie, or song, we’ll take in everything we can get.

It’s also because of these books, movies, and songs that we adopt certain sayings, quotes, or just general ideas. Even if they’re just one-off sentences, we all understand the exact context of that sentence.

And that’s why these type of email subject lines work.

All you have to do is take a popular quote from a books, movie, song, commercial, or anything that’s out there in popular culture and add in your keywords.

The more iconic or ingrained it is in our everyday lives, the better.

Now, not every iconic saying can be used. It obviously still has to make sense when you read it. In fact, it should be similar enough to the original thing that people understand it, but different enough that people “get it” as soon as they read it.

So if you get a chuckle after thinking up of one, then you’re probably headed in the right direction.

Check out these templates and examples to see exactly what I mean.

One [Topic] Book To Rule Them All
EX: One dating book to rule them all

There’s No Crying In [Topic]!
EX: There’s no crying in fitness!

Need For [Topic] Speed
EX: Need for writing speed

Love The Smell Of [Topic] In The Morning
EX: Love the smell of copy in the morning

The First Rule Of [Topic]
EX: The first rule of dog training

Show Me The [Desired Result]!
EX: Show me the sales!

I Will Have My [Noun], In This Email Or The Next
EX: I will have my chocolate, in this email or the next

May The [Topic] Force Be With You
EX: May the fat loss force be with you

Silly Wabbit, [Topic] Is For Kids
EX: Silly wabbit, ecommerce is for kids

[Process To Result]. Or Do Not. There Is No Try
EX: Run. Or do not. There is no try.

You Merely Adopted [Topic]
EX: You merely adopted copywriting

And Thus, The 4th Age Of [Topic] Began
EX: And thus, the 4th age of cooking began
Categories To Fill In:
[Topic]
[Noun]
[Desired Result][Negative Term]
[Process To Result]

List Emails

List emails are some of the more standard type of emails you can write.

They are up there with benefit-driven emails in terms of how often people see them.

So why do them?

Because they work.

Having a number upfront is one of the simplest ways to capture someone’s attention. This is especially true if that number is an odd number.

List emails also imply useful information. If you look at the data behind the most viewed types of blog posts, listicables, which is the same thing as a list email subject line, are some of the most viewed piece of content there is.

So they make for a great email, whether it’s for marketing or sales.

With that said, there’s a con to using list emails…

It’s extremely easy to be boring with one.

To be able to pull off a list email, you need interesting phrases or power words to “spice it up a bit”. This way, it’s not just basic subject line in an inbox filled with basic subject lines.

So wordsmithing is required.

Now here are some templates that will allow you to use this type of email subject line immediately.

Contrast Emails

Have you ever seen a show that will use a gray-like picture to demonstrate boring, neutral, or even a sad atmosphere… then when they bring everything back to color, everything becomes vibrant, happier, and more dynamic?

Most email subject lines are like that gray-like picture.

Contrast emails look like the colored picture.

When you use contrast emails, now you’re shaking things up. They are hard to ignore because the situation you’re putting subscribers in is strange. It’s not exactly “normal”.

People expect the big bully to beat down the little guy.

But then you have stories like David vs Goliath that last for thousands of years.

That’s not the only way to do contrast emails though.

In fact, there are multiple ways.

All of which are necessary because repeating just 1 kind of contrast over and over again will potentially lead to overuse and turn it into a “gray” subject line that people ignore.

You can use promises, “characters”, topics, and more to make it happen.

Regardless of the one you use though, the premise is simple…

Pair up opposites.

As long as it is literally opposites or sound like they could be, you’re solid.

[Topic] Do’s And Don’ts
EX: Muscle building do’s and don’ts

From [Before] To [After]
EX: From fat to ripped

The David And Goliath Of [Topic]
EX: The david and goliath of copywriting

[Desired Result] By [Takeaway]
EX: Big biceps by walking

[Topic] Secrets Of A [Disadvantaged Hero]
EX: Golf secrets of a one legged man

[Disadvantaged Hero] [Desired Result]
EX: Poor romanian strikes gold

[Topic] vs [2nd Topic]
EX: Sales vs marketing

Happy To Have [Negative Result]
EX: Happy to have low conversion rates

[Disadvantaged Hero] From [Location]
EX: Short street fighter from arkansas

Historical Emails

Everyone loves history.

This is a fact.

It just has to be relevant to them or just interesting in general. This is why history class back in highschool probably bored you to death, but a good history-based email subject line will grab your attention fast.

The great thing about history email subject lines is how they not only allow you to borrow proof from famous people, but also allows you to easily make boring subjects entertaining.

Selling knives is boring.

Selling knives that use the same metal Alexander The Great used to forge his sword is freaking bad ass.

So how do you write one?

There are multiple ways.

You can mention a specific person, a time period, a civilization, a location, an old source of information, and more.

Now combine that with your topic.

Boom. Now you’ve got something naturally interesting to anyone on your list, every if they aren’t history buffs.

You can literally use anything from history.

And the older or more mysterious it is, the better.

The one downside to history emails is that you should know some history so you don’t have to spend time researching. But if you’re passionate about a particular topic, you won’t have much trouble finding an interesting piece of history to talk about.

[Number Of Years] Year Old [Topic] Secret
EX: 2,000 year old filming secret

TV Shows & Movies Emails

Who doesn’t love a good movie or show?

And who doesn’t love it when you use them as context to teach a lesson or sell something?

That’s why the names of show’s and movies make for great email subject lines. It has to be a play on their names though so as to avoid legal problems with it. I’m not a lawyer though, so double check with them.

Anyway, movies and shows are great.

Even when you intentionally replace words with your more relevant keywords, they still make complete sense.

Now of course, not every movie or show name works.

But if you’re a movie buff, you probably won’t have any trouble coming up with names. If you do, just type in “best movies 2017” or whatever year you’re in and you’ll get a whole list of them.

With that said, the most effective one’s tend to be either really popular movies we would all know about regardless of how much we love movies or just make sense with your keyword even if no one knows the movie.

In other words, the extremes.

So with that said, here’s a couple that you can swipe based on what I said above.

[Celebrity] School Of [Topic]
EX: Bruce lee’s school of self defense

The Pursuit Of [Topic]
EX: The pursuit of money

The Return Of The [Disadvantaged Hero]
EX: The return of the one legged golfer

The Beauty And The [Disadvantaged Hero]
EX: The beauty and the ugly pickup artist

[Topic] Reloaded
EX: Email marketing reloaded

House Of [Topic]EX: House of muscle

Once Upon A Time In [Topic] Land
EX: Once upon a time in six pack land

It’s Always Sunny In [Topic] World
EX: It’s always sunny in cooking world

How To Get Away With [Desired Result]
EX: How to get away with being rich

True [Topic] Crime Story
EX: True dog training crime story

Secret Life Of The [Disadvantaged Hero]
EX: Secret life of the short street fighter

[Topic] Tip Discovered Between A Rock And A Hard Place
EX: Stock market tip discovered between a rock and a hard place

Let’s Keep This [Topic] Tip Off The Record
EX: Let’s keep this youtube tip off the record

It’s Not Over Until The [Topic] Lady Sings
EX: It’s not over until the fitness lady sings

[Topic] In A Nutshell
EX: Snapchat in a nutshell

The Holy Grail Of [Topic]
EX: The holy grail of copywriting

Categories To Fill In:
[Negative Result]
[Topic]

Enemy Emails

It doesn’t matter how smart we get…

We all succumb to our primal emotions.

And one of those emotions leads to tribalism. The fact that we belong in one camp while naturally being totally against the opposite camp. In some situations, it’s completely black and white.

A great example of this is in politics.

The majority of people are republican or democrats. The republicans hate liberals. The democrats hate conservatives. Yes, this is a generalization, but it’s easily visible. Everyone knows politics is a very divisive subject.

This is why enemy email subject lines work so well.

The easiest way to bond with other people is to talk to them about common enemies. This is why republicans connect well with other republicans and democrats with with democrats.

Use this one your email subject lines.

Not about politics though, unless you’re a daredevil.

Instead, focus on the enemies/bad guys of your market.

For example, the supplement companies are usually the bad guys in the fitness industry.

In entrepreneurship, the guru’s are positioned as enemies.

Whatever it is for your market, use it!

Rarely will another business go straight for the jugular like this, meaning yours will stand out like a sore thumb even in the most crowded of inboxes.

What [Enemy] Don’t Want You To Know
EX: What supplement companies don’t want you to know

Slap A [Enemy] With This Email
EX: Slap a guru with this email

A [Enemy] A Day, Keeps The [Authority] Away
EX: A rich jerk a day, keeps the good guys away

Nonsense Paraded Around By [Enemy]
EX: Nonsense paraded around by PUA’s

1) Test Data

However, while scientific data is done by actual scientists, test data is something you can do all by yourself. It’s not a great fit for some markets, but in others, it’s an amazing proof element.

Think split-tests.

If you can split-test that landing page A converted 25% more than landing page B, now you have original and undeniable test data. Doing this is so effective, some companies sell subscriptions like hell with this kind of data alone.

Now, maybe you’re not split-testing landing pages.

But you can split-test things like how fast towel A absorbs water than towel B.

Be creative with it.

2) Charts & Graphs

The thing about data is that it’s hard to read. When it’s hard to read, it’s ignored. And when it’s ignored, its effectiveness is slashed.

This is especially true when you have a lot of it.

So when you can make it easy to understand, you’re adding in another layer of proof. Now your prospect actually cares. Now they can actually consume it, internalize it, and make decisions based off it.

For a great example of this, just look at P90X commercials. They will effectively explain how their unique mechanism’s like “Muscle Confusion” and “Muscle Acceleration” work using graphs even though they are just made up terms.

3) Chart Comparisons

This is a very common one.

So you’re scrolling down a page and you see this huge box with rows, columns, checkmarks, X’s, and highlights. It’s a comparison chart with the goal of positioning the product being sold as vastly superior than competitors products.

They work because of clarity.

A great chart comparison lays out features & benefits of one product to another. Of course, it’s usually cherry-picked, but it works. When you use this, you need make the end result as obvious as possible.

SaaS companies do a great job with this. Supplements do the same.

4) Visual Comparisons

By visual comparison, I mean a visual demonstration done side-by-side with a competitors product.

This is a notch above a regular demonstration. It’s extremely effective because you can actually see it. And if you can do it live, even better. In fact, some infomercials will do everything they can to make it appear as if it was live.

Funny enough, the products you’ll mostly see doing this are cleaning-related. That’s because they low-cost, visual, and understandable. At least more so than other products.

A great example of this is are OxyClean’s infomericals. Every one of them will contain a visual comparison to make it obvious that their cleaning solution is way better than that of the competitions.

5) Scientific Studies

When you have scientific data behind you, it’s very hard to dispute. At least on the surface level. Entire sales pitches that actually sell can be created based on just 1 piece of data alone.

With that said, this proof element really does it best when you can stack on test after test after test. The goal? To make your claims undeniably true. The more pieces of data you have, the better.

If you have access to test data, add it immediately to your landing pages. And if you’re in a market that is more open to talking in scientific terms, test data is practically mandatory.

6) Unique Mechanism

A unique mechanism is the “thing” that makes your product actually work.

A couple examples of this includes knives that use a certain type of stainless steel no one else uses or a more powerful blender that can blend just about anything.

Unique mechanisms serve as amazing proof elements because you’re telling someone why something works. And if you’re selling a physical product, you can sometimes even point to it physically. That’s powerful.

A great example of a unique mechanism is the George Foreman Grill. The whole product is based off the built-in slant that lets the fat slide right off.

7) Unique Process

Not everything is as simple as a unique “widget”.

In some cases, you will need to describe the “secret” behind your product as a process.

Again, this works as an amazing proof element because you’re explaining why something works. Plus, because you’re laying out the whole process, you’re making it that much easier for someone to trust you.

Remember though… it’s not just A process… it’s a unique process.

With that said, just 1 part of the process has to be unique. It can also just be a unique combination of common things. Everything else can be a carbon copy of what everyone else does. Just make sure to lay it all out in an understandable way.

8) Unique Naming

Want to know a secret?

You don’t actually have to have something unique in your product. You just need to be the first call out a lesser known thing and give it a unique name.

Unlike the other forms of describing a unique mechanism, this is not about the special function in a product.

Instead, it’s all about the special presentation.

One great example of this is P90X3’s “Muscle Acceleration”.

There is nothing revolutionary about extreme 30-minute workouts. They just found scientific data backing up the concept, which very few of their customers would know about, and made it their own by giving it a unique name.

9) Reason Why (For)

The “reason why” is one of the least used, but most powerful proof elements you can have on your page.

Basically, you’re just giving a reason why your prospect should buy.

This goes above just stating claims.

For example, holding a 50% off is good. If you want to really want to take it to the next level though, give it a reason why. Maybe it’s a birthday sale. Maybe it’s a Christmas sale. Maybe it’s a sale because it’s the last time you’re selling the product.

Whatever it is, give it a reason.

That alone will boost conversions.

10) Reason Why (Against)

Giving a reason why for your stuff is great, but you can do more.

You can also give a reason why your customer should not pick any of the other options available. This in it of itself is a proof element, because you’re now giving reasons why you’re the only option that makes any sense.

Again, giving reasons boost believability.

The reasons must be strong reasons. But if you can pull it off, then you’re set.

A good example of this is refuting a claim made by a competitors product and giving reasons why that specific claim is wrong. You can even combine other proof elements to further enhance your argument.

11) Logical Argument

Even though most marketing and advertising is emotion based, nothing can replace a sound logical argument.

This is pretty obvious.

Yet, not many people actually think about this. It’s more of an afterthought. It doesn’t happen too often. However, when it does, it causes confusion. And confusion kills sales…

So it’s in your best interest to use sound reasoning.

With that said, there are multiple types of reasoning. Inductive, deductive, and conditional. That’s a lot of options. However, if you can ask yourself, “does this make sense?” then you’re set.

For best results, allow 2-3 other people to read your argument and see if it makes sense to them. If it’s not an outright yes, then change it.

12) Industry Specialization

It’s one of the first pieces marketing advice just about anyone gets.

Niching down and specializing in a specific industry is a powerful proof element because you’re implying you’re an expert on a certain topic.

If you have knee pain, you want to go to a knee specialist. Pretty obvious.

In this form of specialization though, your focus is on the industry. For example, you may be a marketer who specializes in growing fitness gyms.

This way, you’re explicitly saying you’re great at what you do for a specific segment of the market. If a gym owner is looking for marketing help and finds someone who specializes in helping people like him, then that marketer will probably get the gig.

13) Method Specialization

Specialization is key.

However, there are more than one type of specialization.

In method specialization, your focus is on the deliverable.

For example, instead of being a marketer, you’re an email marketer or a FB ads expert.

The great thing about this type of proof element is that you’re still a specialist, but without cornering yourself to a specific market. You can be an email marketer for gyms, physical therapists, lawyers, and even theme parks if you wanted too.

Regardless of what deliverable you choose, it should be prominent on your landing page. In fact, it should be the first thing I notice. Back up your specialization claim with imagery and naming to reinforce it.

14) Trust Seals

You know those small seals near the checkout button?

Usually, they will say something like “secured checkout” or even have the word “trust” in there. Many of these types of trust seals are attained by paying a service that will confirm it for you.

Anyway, believe it or not, they help. A lot.

When your customer is at the checkout, they are pretty much looking for any reason to not buy. It’s just a natural instinct. It’s better to not buy than to buy and regret it.

So even though these trust seals are not big, they let your customer know that you are safe to do business with. Even just 1 trust seal and can help you close a deal.

15) Certifications

Certifications are huge.

Whether you attain your certification at a university or from a 3rd party, they make a huge difference in how you can position yourself. You’ve proved that you know your stuff without your customer having to “take a chance” on you.

It’s also easily promotable.

Every time you mention yourself, you can easily mention it.

Now, if you do have a certification from a 3rd party, it helps if that brand is known. The stronger that brand is, the stronger the certification is as a proof element. With that said, a certification is usually better than no certification.

16) Degrees

A degree from a university is probably the most classic form of proof element.

Now, while many people would debate the value of a degree, it can still be useful as a proof element if you already have it.

A degree is supposed to represent mastery over a specific topic, so as long as what you have is within the same area as what your business is about, it can help. For example, having a biology degree can help sell nutrition plans.

Also, much like certifications, a degree becomes the most valuable when the giver of that degree is well known. For example, a Harvard degree is a stronger proof element than a college no one has heard about.

17) Contact Information

You’ve ever seen a business really display their phone number?

And I don’t mean the businesses that have you search their entire site to find it. I’m talking about the businesses that make it really visible and even encourage you to contact them.

While it’s simple, it’s a proof element nonetheless.

That phone number builds trust. It says that the business is real and reachable. It’s not a proof element for a particular product, but a proof element for the whole business in general.

Regardless of what it is you’re selling, there’s no excuse to not make it easy to contact you.

18) Infographics & Visualizations

Very few people think of infographics or any type of visualization in general as a proof element, but they are… just not in the regular sense.

They are a way to display proof. A way that’s easy to understand, fast to consume, and flexible enough to emphasize the real proof element to be presented.

In other words, they make real proof much stronger.

Don’t be stuck in just the infographic mindset either. Any type of visualization can do the job. It just needs to be formatted for the specific landing page you’re putting it on.

19) Before & Afters

If you’ve ever seen an infomercial, you’ve been bombarded by before & after’s.

That’s because they flat out work. When put side by side, they are an amazing proof element that shows real change and improvement. The more visual, the more effective they become.

They also do amazingly well when stacked.

That’s because they are easy and fast to consume. It’s obvious, especially when you can give some data point behind the pictures.

For example, weight loss ads will have a great before & after photo alongside a “Joe Lost 20 pounds” headline. Combined, they make before & after’s one of the strongest types of proof elements out there.

20) Specificity

Broad terms aren’t really trustworthy.

That’s because they can mean anything. They also imply there’s nothing behind them to back them up. It’s only logical.

However, the more specific you are, the more likely you are to be believed.

It’s one thing to say you lost a lot of weight after a few months. It’s another thing to say you lost 20 pounds in 12 weeks with 30min workouts. Now that sounds like there’s real substance behind the claims.

Specificity is one of the simplest and most straightforward proof elements there are.

21) Customer Origin Specificity

Testimonials are powerful.

However, there’s one certain part of the testimonial that very few ever think about that directly affects how powerful that testimonial is.

I’m talking about the little section that follows their name. For example, Joe Schmoe, 30 Years Old, Kansas City, Former Plumber…etc

When you use specificity to expand on the source of the testimonial, you end up with a more believable and powerful one. Now the audience can relate to that person more, they can trust it because the details sound more believable, and there’s a chance that the person reading the testimonial might actually be in a very similar situation as the testimonial giver.

22) Research Findings

Research is naturally trustworthy.

It can either be done outside or inside. Meaning, research can come from scientists, the government, other businesses, or just other outside sources in general that took the time and money to do it.

It can also be done within your own business.

For example, Verizon has a commercial where they claim that no one really cares about unlimited data plans. Based on their own data, they’ve discovered that 2/3rd’s of all customers only use up to 5 gigs of data. So they are offering a 5gig data plan deal in response to that research and made a whole ad around it.

This is just as strong a proof element as anything else.

23) Visual Demonstrations

Demonstrations are probably the #1 most effective proof element you can ever apply to your landing pages… especially if it’s visual.

A visual demonstration requires no guesswork for the consumer. They just sit there and see your product do your thing. From there, they get to decide if they believe your claims or not.

These are very popular in infomercials. In fact, the people who pick products to appear on infomercials will avoid anything that does not allow for an easy and visual demonstration.

Without it, they’ll lose millions.

With it, they’ll win hundreds of millions.

24) Extreme Demonstrations

Extreme demonstrations are special.

Not only do they demonstrate the effectiveness of your product, but they do so in a head-turning, eye-popping, jaw-dropping way. This is also why they tend to be extremely viral.

One of the best examples of this is Blendtec.

The claim that their blender is the most powerful blender in the world.

To prove it, the guy who created the Blendtec will famously put in anything in there and let his product do the work. No “obvious” things like vegetables are allowed in there. He puts stuff like marbles and large pieces of wood. His blender then smashes through it all, proving his claim.

25) Sample Demonstration

Sometimes, the best way to promote your product is by allowing for a sample demonstration.

By this, I just mean regular samples.

Yes, like the food samples you come across in some stores. For food product specifically, it’s the most direct way to demonstrate your product tastes great.

With that said, there are variations to this form of demonstration.

For example, some supplement companies will create an entire sales pitch to sell a sample bottle. This obviously leads to higher conversions, because it’s both a proof element and an irresistible offer.

26) Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials are a marketing classic.

They are by far the most popular form of social proof. That’s because they are effective and pretty easy to attain. They are used so much that some sales pitches will just be filled with customer testimonials and nothing else.

Suffice to say, you should be using them too.

Every company relies on customer testimonials. This includes companies as big as Amazon to the mom & pop shop down the corner.

So always be collecting testimonials even if you don’t need them at the moment.

27) Influencer Testimonials

Are you respected by your peers?

Ask them for testimonials.

If I’m a personal trainer and 20 other personal trainers point to me, letting others know I’m amazing, that’s saying something. Unlike a customer testimonial, it implies where I’m at in my profession.

Now, while they don’t replace customer testimonials, they are still extremely powerful.

They are also sometimes easier to acquire depending on your resources.

Also, depending on the reputation behind the influencer giving you the testimonial, the stronger it gets.

If I’m in fitness, getting a testimonial from Tony Horton is game-changing. I can make an entire pitch based on that alone.

28) Star Ratings

Everyone knows what it means to rated 5 stars.

In fact, in some industries, that alone could tell you everything you need to know about the business. For example, in the hotel industry, being a 5-star hotel is literally the pinnacle of proof.

So why are these so effective?

The first is that most people have seen star ratings millions of times before. Hotels, restaurants, movies…etc

The second is that they are visual. There is really no mistaking a 3-star place versus a 5-star place. You can see the obvious difference between one and the other.

Last, they say a lot fast.

Because of the two points above, we can skim and immediately know how credible/trustworthy that product or service is.

29) Audio Testimonials

There’s a reason why podcasts are so popular.

You can still do stuff while consuming information.

The same goes for audio testimonials.

It’s inevitable that people are going to be doing multiple things, even if you’re on a landing page with only 1 goal. So at least optimize for it.

No, that doesn’t mean just to put an audio player like if was the early 2000’s. At that point, you’re going way to far backward. Unless your audience is 60+, then I wouldn’t even think of it. Even then, best not too.

With that said, you can just have a video with a static image, but an audio testimonial. Many podcasts do this when repurposing their content on Youtube. It’s proven to work.

30) Video Testimonials

The best type of medium for a testimonial is video.

At that point, you have visual and audio. When you can see the person’s face, it’s much easier to connect with them and watch their body language. When you can listen to them, you can pick up their voice tonality.

The majority of community is non-verbal, so video testimonials are the best way to deliver a well-rounded message, including testimonials.

You can go really high-end or you can go low-end.

Both work.

And when you have video, you can always repurpose it into audio or images or just text. So it allows for repurposing of that same testimonial.

In other words, it’s the ideal method of delivering testimonial.

31) Founder Testimonial

The general consensus is that testimonials should come from a 3rd party source.

This is true most of the time.

However, depending on the size and reputation of the business, a testimonial from the actual founder can act as a proof element.

Think of Apple.

Yes, they have millions of customers paying thousands of dollars for some of the world’s best phones, tables, and computers.

But where would they be if Steve Jobs wasn’t their biggest fan?

Apple is huge company, but Steve Jobs was awed by them. He was a great communicator who’s opinion was respected because he always delivered.

So even when gave his own review of the product, it would mean something.

You can do the same depending on your business.

32) Client List

This is a popular one, especially if you’re in client-services.

Basically, your landing page is going to have a section of the past clients you’ve worked with. If you don’t have 1-on-1 clients because you’re a product, you can still position them as past customers or “trusted by”.

This is powerful.

It’s a form of borrowing proof, but at its best because you’re saying they actually did and liked doing business with you.

If you’re a small company, but it shows you’ve worked with Nike, you’re set.

The bigger the brands on your client list, the more effective.

33) Social Following

You won’t usually see this on a landing page.

Maybe because most companies don’t really care too much about how many “likes” they have on Facebook, so they don’t really value it.

However, it is a powerful proof element.

If you have a big following, use it!

At best, you’ll see people promoting their email newsletters saying something like, “100,000 people can’t be wrong”. That is with email newsletter subscribers though. Those are generally harder to get.

However, you can use the same tactic for social, which is much easier to get. Essentially, the more fans you have on a specific social media channel or all of them put together, the stronger the proof element you have.

If you’re popular, you’ll be more trusted. Period.

34) Case Studies

Case studies are one of the strongest forms of proof there is.

It’s similar to a testimonial, except it’s on steroids. You’re not just asking for a quote.

In a case study, you’re providing 3 critical details. The first is the problem that the client had. The second are the action steps you took to solve the problem. The third is the result. Within those 3 steps, you can include quotes, breakdowns, and more.

Because of its in-depth details, it’s much valuable.

Instead of just taking the word of a customer that your work is great, the potential client can now see what went into getting the results.

35) Audio Case Studies

The thing with case studies is that they can be long.

They are documents filled with details. Some case studies can actually span multiples pages of content. This is the exact reason why an audio version of the case study can be useful.

Delivered in an MP3 or as a stream online, a case studio in audio format can be consumed relatively easily. This is especially true in B2B situations, where most case studies are use in anyway.

Of course, you have to adapt to the format.

With no visuals, a focus on effectively delivering the message is critical.

36) Video Case Studies

Case studies in video format can be powerful.

You can pretty much have anything you want on it. You can film the actual person, you can do screen captures, you can display data dynamically, and more. It’s only limited by the skill of the person doing the video.

Heck, some video case studies are practicality mini-movies.

Descriptive, understandable, and entertaining. These are the reasons why video case studies are powerful.

With that said, pairing them up with text can be helpful.

The one downside of video is that they take time to consume. This can be easily combatted against with a downloadable PDF file for those who want to skim or keep the case study.

37) Social Proof

Social proof is a broad term, but it’s powerful.

No one really wants to be the first person to take a chance on a product or service. And even if you’ve had success with your customers, the absence of social proof on your landing page can make it seem like you’re new.

The truth is, we would much rather do business with those who have already had success with other people.

This can be difficult if your business is just starting out. If this is the case, then attaining social proof should be a priority. Once you have some social proof, that can then lead snowball into more.

38) Borrow Proof From Media

One of the ultimate forms of credibility is the association of a famous media company.

So why not try to figure out a way borrow proof from a media company?

The most basic and popular way to do this is using an “As Seen On” section in your website. If you or your company have been featured on something like Forbes or Entrepreneur magazine. This is some serious credibility.

Now, you don’t have to be on a big, mainstream magazine like that.

If you’re in an industry that has its own niched magazine, those work too.

39) Borrow Proof From Companies

Another source of great proof is that of other companies.

The great thing about using other companies as proof is that they are “niche specific”. In other words, you can target specific companies within your market that others would respect. This means a better chance of success since you’re dealing with non-mainstream companies.

In this situation, you’re going to have a “past clients” section on your landing page. With multiple, targeted “past clients”, you’ll have yourself a rock-solid proof element on your landing page.

40) Borrow Proof From Celebrities

Not all clients are created equal.

If you’re selling a software program and you have Mark Cuban on your landing page saying your stuff is great, that’s stronger proof than having 10 regular testimonials.

This was actually a tactic used by ConvertKit. Nathan Berry, founder of ConvertKit, made it an effort to attract specific, high-profile customers such as Pat Flynn. This is one of the reasons why ConvertKit was able to do so well once they pivoted to serving professional bloggers.

So start figuring out who you can target so that you can borrow their “celebrity status” on your landing page

41) Borrow Proof From Experts

Other experts are an excellent source to having a rock-solid proof element on your landing page.

Almost by definition, other people respect and trust experts. When an expert recommends something, then it becomes much easier for others to think it is something good.

So think about…

What other experts in your industry would be to give a good word about your product or service?

Now, while it’s always great to have a bunch… even just 1 is powerful.

Once you can get some, then use their names on your landing pages. This will immediately boost your credibility and improve your conversion rates in the process.

42) Slang Terms

Most people don’t realize this…

But merely talking in the same way your audience does is a huge proof element. Now, I don’t just mean language like English or Spanish. That’s obvious. I’m talking about real slang terms.

For example, how people who come from southern U.S states talk differently from northeastern states. It’s still English, but there is a difference.

So if you’re landing page is targeted toward a specific demographic, then it helps to make sure the copy is written in the way that target audience speaks like.

43) Product Reviews

Product reviews are a classic proof element.

They are also some of the more influential depending on how genuine they appear. That’s because unlike stars, testimonials, or anything similar… product reviews are more in-depth about the actual product.

You’ll actually see these a lot on Youtube.

You’ll also see it a lot in places like Amazon where people will sometimes post up an entire product review in that testimonial box.

If you can have real product reviews, even if they find slight flaws in your product or service, on your landing page, you can possibly boost your conversions.

44) Creator Reviews

A creator review is interesting.

It’s part sales pitch, but also part genuine reaction.

A creator review is when the actual creator of the product gives a real, in-depth review of it. The key to pulling this off though is that it must be real and genuine. The more honest the creator is about the pro’s and con’s about his product, the better.

This is because everyone hypes there stuff.

So in other words, the real goal of the video is to build trust… NOT to sell. This is a huge difference. Do this correctly and not only will the product be more sellable, but the entire brand will be trusted more in general.

45) Valuable Content

Content is the name of the game these days.

Now, content is usually seen as a content marketing strategy. It’s there to help you build a whole new audience, get their trust, and buy. This is totally accurate and extremely effective.

But how does it fit into a landing page?

Simple.

What few people realize is that education is actually a form of sales.

So you can create valuable content about the “secret” behind why your product works and what that means for them, in an educational, non-sales pitch way.

46) Quote An Authority

Quoting an authority is powerful.

But in this case, we’re going for association.
This is different from getting a testimonial, an endorsement, or really anything else that I’ve mentioned in this post.

So lets say, for example, that you’re selling a workout program that uses Tabata and there’s an expert out there that says Tabata’s are amazing. Technically, you can just quote him on your landing page. The point being he recommends Tabata, but isn’t saying that he directly recommends your product.

Now, I’m not a lawyer by any means.

So you may have to check with one before you do this. You can also just ask that expert to allow you to use their quote.

47) Quote Customer Problems/Questions

Being able to understand what your customer thinks is critical to delivering a great sales message on a landing page. If you can relay that understanding back to them effectively, then it’s even more powerful.

So why not literally cut & paste a popular problem or question that a particular customer asked?

By doing so, you will probably do a better job at relaying to them that you do understand and that others like them also come to your company for help.
This is such an easy thing to implement that most companies forget to do it or they try to alter the original message way too much.

When it comes to proof elements, the ability to relay a genuine message is critical.

48) Founder Or Team Photo

Who this landing page and offer is from is important.

Most companies will defer to just putting up their logo, in the hopes that’s enough to build proof or they’ll half-ass the whole employee thing.

Truth is, people do business with other people.

The more real and trustworthy those people are, the more likely customers will actually buy from your landing page.

The key is that it can’t be like stock-footage like stuff.

It’s important to show personality, of which everyone has a unique one. While all of this can still be “on brand”, each person must have their “voice”. This means every persons pictures and descriptions should be personalized based on who they actually are.

49) Financial Guarantees

Financial guarantee’s are the bread and butter of guarantees.

The most popular financial guarantee is the 100% money back guarantee. There’s also stuff like the double your money back guarantee, plus the many variations of it.

Point is, you’re offering someone their money back if they aren’t satisfied with the product. This can have qualifiers of course. For example, they must show proof that they actually used the product before they can claim the guarantee.

Money is big factor in making a sale.

In fact, it’s one of the biggest things that keep people from buying and also feeling remorse after they buy.

With a financial guarantee, you can prove you stand behind your product while easing the anxiety they feel about buying.

50) Support Guarantees

Not every business can deal with money back guarantees and neither is that real solution that every customer wants if things don’t workout the first time.

This is why there are support guarantees.

A support guarantee is when you guarantee support until the end goal is reach. For a client-based business, this can mean revisions until something converts. For a consumer facing business, it can mean free repairs.

There are a lot of ways to handle it.

Now, you do have to keep in mind if you can actually afford to do this. So knowing your numbers is essential.

51) Competitor Guarantees

These are rarely used.

However, you may have come across them when you’ve tried to buy an appliance like a refrigerator or a washing machine…. most likely when they are on sale.

A comparison guarantee is one where you’re essentially saying that if the product is not working, you’ll get a refund of the product and you’ll also buy them a competitors product.

This is risky, but it’s attractive an unique.

You can play with around with the details. It’s only limited to your imagination. But basically, you’re helping them to switch to a competitors product.

52) Reverse Proof

Most proof elements are designed to prove yourself to your customer?

But what about proof elements that are designed to have them prove themselves to you?

This is actually an age-old sales technique that plays to the fact we want things that we cannot have. It also helps for letting customers know ahead of time who you’re actually for.

They specifically say, “If you can afford $3 per lead or $60 per customer”. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, if you don’t fit in that criteria, you can’t have the service.

There are other variations of this, but the idea is the same.

Get the customer to chase you.

53) Metaphor/Analogy

Unless you’re a copywriter, this one doesn’t come to mind very often.

Yet, it’s one of the most powerful things you can do. In fact, metaphors are responsible for billions of dollars in sales.

An effective metaphor allows for complete understanding of the main message. It drives the point home in a way a regular explanation can’t. It also positions it in a way that’s more trustworthy and valuable.

This can fit anywhere on your landing page…whether it’s text or on a video.

Sometimes, it can be used on the name of the product itself.

54) Don’t Exaggerate

This isn’t really a proof element…

But exaggeration is a concept that takes away credibility and can reduce the impact any other proof element you have on your landing page.

Now, exaggeration isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Controlled” exaggeration is especially useful to create excitement. Many successful products do this to great effect.

However, it’s different when you take it too far, especially if it’s exaggeration of claims.

The need to exaggerate usually comes from the fact the owner is trying to compensate for the lack of an amazing product.

You can see this in those lose 30 pounds in 30 days ads. Everyone knows it’s not possible. Yes, it will still make sales, but the company that uses this messaging won’t be seen as trustworthy as other companies that don’t exaggerate.

55) Believable Promise

This is the opposite of an exaggeration.

Typically, the idea when making a claim is that you should always promise the best possible case scenario that can be backed up. However, this isn’t always the smartest route.

In some markets, it’s much more effective to underpromise.

For example, Ramit Sethi is the creator of Earn1k On The Side. The entire premise of the course is to help anyone earn $1,000/month as a freelancer while still working their main job.

Now, the same techniques can help someone build a $100,000 freelance business, but he doesn’t promise that. Instead, he chooses his much more believable and doable $1,000/month to make the sale.

56) Takeaway Language

Takeaway language is super useful.

Most people don’t use it enough on their landing pages.

What you’re doing here is try to repel everyone who your product or service is not for. This isn’t skimming over the general reasons. This is actually going in-depth into all the exact people that shouldn’t buy.

You’ll see this often with products trying to go after an “anti-guru” route.

For example, a landing page for a digital marketing system that specifically says this product is not for the get rich quick crowd, it’s not for the lazy, and it’s not for those looking for that push-button easy solution.

57) Product Origin Story

Most products are commodities.

That’s why a lot of the major successes happen to come when there are innovations to the product itself.

But what do you do when that’s not possible? And how do brands that sell essentially the same thing get people to buy their stuff?

The answer is simple… story.

More specifically, the story of the origin of the product.

Maybe this particular product was created differently, maybe you can share a whole new story that’s never been told about it, or maybe you can just take an existing story that no one talks about and be the first to talk about it.

58) Owner Origin Story

I find it funny when people downplay the owner/creator of a product.

We see the Steve Jobs of the world and assume they just are that amazing. However, the truth is that it’s all manufactured. Furthermore, that connection with the owners “origin story” does serve as a proof element for the product you’re selling.

The goal is to have customers to trust in you more over the logo’s your competitors hide behind of.

This is definitely popular in entrepreneurship circles.

They love to hear how Steve Jobs raised like a phoenix, how Howard Shultz came from nothing, and how Elon Musk changed the world with ever startup he was involved in.

59) Empathy Of Emotions

Empathy is huge.

In fact, it’s fair to say that everything on your landing page should be there to build that empathy. If it doesn’t, then it raises some serious questions if it should be there at all.

To really put yourself in someone else’s shoes is a proof element that can literally make or break a landing page.

To apply this effectively though, you need to do a lot of customer research. This includes both things like surveys and actually getting on the phone with customers.

How do they feel about their problem? Why do they feel that way? How would they feel if it got solved? Why?…etc

All of these questions need to be answered and more.

60) Empathy of Situation

Not all empathy is just emotion-based.

It’s extremely important to also be empathetic of people’s situations. So while emotions are a non-physical, empathy of situation is physical.

For example, the living situation of minimum wage worker is completely different from that of someone who earns $1 million a year.

You then need to understand how their situation actually looks like, in detail.

For example, if someone is trying to lose weight, you can let them know that you understand how their belly looks like if they were pregnant. This is huge pain point for both men and women.

61) Admitting A Fault (Damaging Admission)

Perfectionism is very open to skepticism.

No one is perfect, so presenting yourself as if you were can actually lead to doubts about how genuine you are.

So if your landing page contains copy that talks about you as the creator, then it might be in your best interest to admit a fault. The same goes for your product. If there’s a fault that people should know, then let them know.

It’s a million times better to admit your faults upfront than to have people discover it themselves after they’ve paid.

62) Celebrity Endorsements

Just about every commercial on TV uses celebrity endorsements.

Whether it’s Jessica Simpson being the spokesperson for Proactive or Tiger Woods being the face of Nike, they are all celebrity endorsement. Today, you can also include Youtube and Instagram stars to the mix.

They work because of influence.

If this person likes a product, then it should be good. At least that’s the mentality behind the people who buy because of that endorsement.

So why does everyone use this?

First, because it just works. It’s been used for decades and it’s not stopping anytime soon.

Second, because it can be bought. So it becomes a very fast way add a high quality proof to a landing page.

63) Raw Photos

Pictures say a thousand words.

However, the majority of photos are pretty doctored. In fact, some are so doctored than people will openly point it out. Fitness before & after pics are treated like this all the time, even if the results were real.

So why homemade photos?

Because they are real. At least, they are positioned as real in our minds. What we see is exactly what we’re going to get.

Now, that doesn’t mean these photos are used straight from your camera. They can be “fluffed up” a little. But the closer it looks like if someone took it from their personal camera, the better.

64) Raw Videos

Most people don’t know this…

But the real secret to P90X’s success was their homemade video testimonials. Instead of trying to create these nice looking, professionally produced testimonials… customers actually preferred raw footage.

Because of this Beachbody did everything they could to get customers to take real footage of them doing the workouts and telling people their thoughts. They then edited it down and used them in their infomercials.

P90X is now the best selling workout program in history, to the tune of almost $1 billion in sales.

Suffice to say, these “homemade videos” work. So if you’re in a market where everything is doctored up, try raw footage instead.

65) PR And Media Exposure

PR and media exposure is huge.

If you look at any Kickstarter landing page, you’ll notice that some of the most successful products have rows of logos from media sites they appeared in.

That’s not the only version though…

For example, some landing pages use videos where the owner appears on a news station talking about their product. This in particular is powerful, because it’s usually involves mainstream media.

The great thing about PR though is that it can snowball. One place features you after the other, especially if you’re proactive about it.

66) Viral Social Exposure

Viral social exposure is different from regular PR.

Normally, PR comes in the form of being on mainstream news or even industry specific news sources.

Viral social exposure is when you go viral on social media.

An amazing example of this is Blendtech. The videos about how you can blend anything in a Blendtech made it go viral. These videos are now essentially infomercials that went viral and any one of them can be used on a landing page.

Plus, the traffic that is gained through this viral exposure is pretty likely to buy.

And you can leverage how many people saw your viral exposure by using the number of views as a selling point.

67) Sales Data

If you have impressive sales numbers, share it.

It’s almost like social proof.

So imagine there’s a new product you just discovered. It looks great, but you aren’t too sure if it’s “bug free” or if it actually works. So you go out searching for things like testimonials to make sure others before you had success with the product.

But then you see that 2 million units of this product has been sold.

That means 2 million people before you tried it. So technically, if 2 million units were sold, then it has to be good. There is no way that 2 millions units could be sold if it was a bad product.

68) Geographic Reach Data

Similar to sales data, if you’ve sold your product to people all over the world, that acts as a strong proof element as well.

In this situation, you go back to your data and find out that people from 52 different countries have bought your product. Not only that, but at least 1 person from every continent in the world, minus Antarctica.

This is a strong proof element.

You have paying customers from all around the globe, just like the big brands do.

If you sell digital products, this is actually one of the easiest proof elements you can acquire.

69) Refund Data

Refund data is revealing.

While low refunds is not necessarily a sign of great a product on the business end, it does mean that to the customer. So if you have low refunds, then use it as on your landing page as a selling point.

Low refunds make for a great proof element because they are easy to collect (every business has this type of data, whether good or bad), it’s partly “manufacturable”, and it’s easily understood.

Will it 10X your sales? Not really.

But it adds to the perception of a rock-solid product that does what it says it can do.

70) Brand/Logo

This is probably one of the simplest ways to add a proof element to your landing pages.

Literally just add your logo to the page.

This lets people know they are working with a real company. Even if your company is brand new, it still gives a feeling of safety to the customer.

Now, if you’re an established brand with a strong presence, then this works even better. For example, if you’re Nike, then your logo is going to be much more influential than a new brand.

Every business should use this as one of their many proof elements.

71) Business Transparency

How transparent are you about your business?

For the most part, some businesses are super secretive. This is for obvious reasons. What happens inside of a business is usually proprietary. Any mention of it can give an advantage to competitors.

With that said, this gives an advantage to businesses that are open to sharing what happens inside.

Pat Flynn of Smart Passive income is famous for this.

When you “open the kimono” to your business, you automatically become more trustworthy. It doesn’t need to be the inner workings. However, things like revenue and profit margin counts.

72) Product Transparency

Businesses are very selective about what they share about their products.

This is especially true for bigger brands, who make products using questionable methods. If it were to be revealed, it could actually ruin the reputation of your brand.

However, if your product is made in acceptable ways, then product transparency can help in a huge way.

For example, many people would love to know that your product is made in a state-of-the art facility where people get paid well, no animals get hurt, and it helps the local community.

In fact, many people will pay extra for that.

So even if you can be transparent about your product on your landing page, do it.

73) Owner Transparency

The person behind the product has a lot of influence over how trustworthy the product really is.

This is why there are many movies about successful entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. In these movies, their faults are downplayed while their successes are magnified. As their legend grows, so does their products.

The same applies to your product, minus the movies.

The more transparent the owner is, the more they can trust the things he owns and creates.

This is especially true today with social media, where everyone is sharing stuff about their lives 24/7.

74) Published Author

Are you a published author?

If so, this should be in all of your marketing materials now.

If not, then think about becoming on as soon as possible.

Being a published author is still the fastest and most enduring way to become a credible experts. If you write the book about your subject, you will be that key figure even if you’re not necessarily the best one at it.

That’s why it’s such a great proof element.

The effect multiplies if you can associate yourself with a particular list like being a New York Times best selling author or even an Amazon best selling author.

75) Movie Publisher

This one isn’t talked about a lot.

That’s because very few ever think about doing it. It’s not really common sense to think that a movie you publish yourself can have any effect to your credibility, especially on a landing page… but it can.

Just look at the Youtubers out there who make their own mini-movies.

Their fans trust them almost unconditionally.

Now, whether you use an actual movie on your landing page or use the movie as the thing that goes before your landing page will be up to you, the business you’re in, and the way you set up these assets, but it works.

76) Accomplishments

Do you have any accomplishments?

If you go back to when you were applying for college, you probably tried to do this a lot. Ambitious high school kids are always trying to become the president of this and the direct of that.

Same idea here.

Maybe you’re a New York Times best selling author.

Maybe you were given some kind of award.

Maybe you hit some kind of record that’s important in your industry.

For example, if you’re selling strongman gear and you’re a world-record holder in a strongman event, that can help a lot in selling your product.

77) 3rd Party Angle

Most sales letters are written in the first person.

This is mostly because the person writing the sales letter is the same one who created the product. So it’s only natural that you talk in this way.

However, what if someone else made the product?

Most companies will opt to keep a neutral tone or a “we” tone. However, John Carlton famously use a 3rd party tone rarely seen today.

He would write as the owner of the company who endorsed the person who made this new product.

When you read it, the whole thing almost sounds like a long-form testimonial. This is amazing because now your landing page IS the proof and not just a sales pitch.

78) Media Association

Placement is really important.

In fact, one of the selling points behind native ad networks like Taboola is that your native ad will appear on mainstream sites like The Wallstreet Journal.

This is important.

That’s because it’s a form of association.

If your ad appears in a highly credible place like the Wallstreet Journal, then it frame the landing page in a highly credible way as well.

So yes, this is not a proof element that would appear on the actual landing page. This would appear before people get to it.

However, it does help the way people perceive your product once they reach it.

79) Percentages

The way data is presented is important.

And one of the best ways to present data is through a percentage.

This not only eliminate huge numbers, but it also makes it much easier to translate into graphical representations. And even if it’s not visual, the 1 to 100% range is well understood by all people.

Like I’ve mentioned multiple times in this post, being able to accurately relay data is a proof element. It gives people much more confidence of what they are buying.

It also simplifies the process of deciding what product they should buy.

So if you can add percentages when you’re talking about numbers, then you’ll effectively improve your sales message.

80) Percentiles

Percentiles are a special kind of data point.

Unlike other forms of data representation, percentiles put you in certain “box”.

For example, when you took the SAT’s in highschool or when you were calculated as your GPA as a senior, your final number would put you in a certain percentile. This wasn’t a number anymore, but a certain group of people.

So even if you barely a top 10% student, you were still in the top 10%.

The same idea for landing pages.

If your product can be presented in a positive percentile format, then it’s a great idea to add it to your landing page. It can possibly boost the perceived effectiveness or quality of your product depending on how you position it.

81) Survey Results

Big companies do this all the time because it works.

When a teeth whitening product is said to be recommended by 4 out of 5 dentists, then obviously it should be a great product. This is excellent positioning.

People think that you just simplified 4 out of 5. In other words, they are thinking that 4 out of 5 really actually means 40 out of 50 or 400 out of 500.

In reality though, you only actually asked 5 dentists.

You can replicate this with a simple 1 question survey to your own audience. Once done, just take the data and if it’s great, add it in to your landing page.

82) Proof Against Normal Advice

Proof that shows why your product is the best is only 1 side of the story.

To best maximize your sales pitch, you also need to prove why all other products aren’t up to par with yours.

For example, if I’m selling a nutrition program that uses IIYFM, then just giving proof with IIYFM would only partially help sell my program. For best results, I need proof why things like intermittent fasting, the Zone diet, or other popular diets just don’t get the job done.

Now, it may not be a smart idea to specifically name your competitors products. However, methodologies or scientific data is allowed.

Just keep it accurate.

83)Satirical Proof

You wouldn’t think this is a proof element.

However, it is.

I first saw this in a Facebook group called The Cult of Copy. It’s the biggest copywriting group on Facebook and it’s run by Colin Theriot.

He created an image that basically made fun of the whole “As Seen On” proof element. He put his picture next to a bunch of big media brands like Forbes and wrote at the top, “Not seen on”.

This is actually a great idea.

Why?

Because it downplays the importance of having that proof element. It makes you “above” that kind of stuff. It also pre-emptively lets people know that they shouldn’t expect all of these grand proof elements, which eliminates people’s expectations, drops their guard, and makes them listen to you.

84) Radical Honesty

This is usually used humorously.

In this case, you’re overtly telling people what you want from them and why. The point is to cut to the real reason, not the “PR’ED” version that everyone else says.

For example, there’s this site called Moneylab.co, which is a site about money making experiments.

On his opt-in forms, he’ll tell you straight up to sign up, but you won’t get anything in return. He’ll answer that objection by telling you and making you feel like you don’t need a bribe to sign up to his list.

This is genius.

It’s not a proof element because you’re being funny.

It’s a proof element because it unmasks the real truth about why others do stuff and why he doesn’t have too.

85) Proof Placement

Where you place your proof is important.

When someone lands on your landing page, their eyes start to go all haywire. They’ll look at all of these things and move down the page. Now, if you have a great offer that is aligned with their needs and you have great copy, they will keep going down the page.

However, the closer you get to asking for the sale, the more anxiety they feel.

Anxiety then peaks right at your buy buttons or any call to action really.

This is where you need to put some proof elements to alleviate that anxiety.

86) Location of Authority

If you’re using video or pictures, this can help a lot.

I first realized this watching an ad from James Altucher.

To sell his product, he created a 30min+ VSl. However, the first 10 minutes consisted of him delivering his pitch on a stage.

This gave the illusion of authority.

As far as I know, there was no audience. It was not an event of any kind. It was just a stage he put together and filmed himself on it. And while there was no claims about the stage, he did appear more important.

You can do the same.

It doesn’t have to be in the same, manufactured way.

But if you did actually speak on stage, then a video or picture showcasing that really does help improve your credibility on the landing page.

87) Company Position

There is a big difference between the founder of the company and the graphic designer.

And by that, I mean that the founder’s voice holds a greater weight when it comes to the landing page. Generally speaking anyway.

For example, if something goes wrong at Amazon, then Jeff Bezos is going to issue a response. When this happens, you know Amazong is taking it seriously. The same goes for Starbucks. If Howard Shultz issues a statement, it’s a big deal.

So if you pull out your “CEO” card, then it serves as a proof element on your landing page.

It directly says that you’re willing to put your name on what you’re selling.

88) Layman Positioning

While an authoritative positioning does help a lot.

What do you do if you’re not an authority?

Easy. You downplay it.

For example, if you’re offering health advice and you’re not a doctor, then don’t try to pretend you are one. This is not only unethical, but also illegal. Neither is required for you to sell.

Instead, tell people straight up you’re not a doctor. And the proceed by telling them how you’re a normal guy “just like them” who just happened to found the solution to the problem because they themselves had it.

This is a proof element because it’s honest.

It’s also relatable.

89) Citations

I’m not a science geek.

However, if you’re in a market where science is a big part of your sales pitch, then it’s very wise to cite all your sources.

For example, if you’re selling a book about intermittent fasting, not everyone is going to think it’s a good idea. So you cite all your sources as possible to show that you are correct in your claims.

If you can do this in bulk, even better.

In other words, having 30 sources is better than just having 5. The amount that you have directly correlates to how trustworthy your product is since most people are going to focus on the amount instead of actually reading through each one.

90) Empathetic Photos

Normally, you would think that straight men would want to see pictures of women and straight women would want to see pictures of men.

In marketing though, it’s the opposite.

Men want to see pictures of other men and women of other women.

Just look at magazines like Men’s Health and Women’s health to confirm this.

This is the power of empathetic photos.

What they see on these magazines are usual the ideal version of themselves or at least that’s what is going on in their “reptilian brain”. The men who see the 6 pack on the cover of Men’s Health also wants that 6 pack himself. That’s why he’s attracted to it.

With that said, empathetic photos also include photos of their current situation.

So if their overweight, then photos of overwight people that look like them works.

Hence the power of before/after photos.

91) Professional Design

To some marketers, design is an afterthought.

However, science has shown that design is a critical component to building trust and credibility.

A person will judge how trustworthy a landing page is within seconds of landing on it. If it doesn’t immediately strike them as something trustworthy, then it’s not… not matter how credible the product actually is.

One great example of this are software products.

Some look like scammy get rich quick offers. Those will immediately be distrusted by the 99.99% of people on the spot.

While other landing pages, like that of SumoMe, will be trusted on the spot.

92) Face of Seller

People can’t relate to brands.

It’s just a logo.

However, people relate extremely well to other people. So the face of the person selling the product can help a ton in selling the product.

Why?

Well, much like other types of proof elements, it sign that you’re willing to put your name on the line for the product. It also shows that you’re a real person and not just corporation, which many people distrust.

93) Product Association

You’ve probably seen this on Instagram when an influencer is using multiple products.

Sometimes, they’ll group a couple of products together, showing what they use. For argument sake, lets just say they paired your soap with Paul Mitchell and Dove products.

This creates an association that says you’re product is at the level of Paul Mitchell and Dove. Really easy, huh?

If this does happen, try to capture the video or screenshot and use it on your landing page. If you can back it up a testimonial, then it becomes even more powerful. Even if you can’t though, it can do well.

This is why people feel great to see their newly published book in a store where other famous books are also located at.

94) Related Proof

Lets say one of the objections you need to answer on your landing page is why you’re credible to teach a certain topic and why they should listen to you versus someone else.

The first thing that comes to mind is direct social proof, like testimonials and case studies or even your own personal results.

But what if you don’t have anything that is both direct and impressive?

You can use related proof elements that still backup your claims.

For example, if you’re selling a how to get clients product through a certain method, but you don’t take on clients… you can still use the fact that you use that certain method as back up proof. The difference is just you’re using it for another goal.

This is a way to position yourself as an authority.

95) Title Association

There are some titles, like doctor or lawyer, that you can’t call yourself unless you’ve gone through all the hoops to become one.

For most things though, like marathon runner or copywriter, you can just call yourself one. Now, of course, don’t lie. You actually have to be one. What I’m saying though is that there’s no barrier to entry, yet it positions you as a credible source.

So if you’re a copywriter, call yourself one and put it on your landing page. If it makes sense to the pitch.

This is the same way Tony Robbins became a multi-million dollar “performance coach” even though many think he’s just another motivational speaker.

96) Speaking Ability

Back in the old days, this used to mean everything.

Your oration skills had to be top-notch if you wanted to persuade Roman senators to do something. Funny enough, things have not changed. Just the medium and audience.

So if you have a video on your landing page, keep in mind that the way you speak your message matters.

This is the same reason why Nixon lost to JFK. John was calm, cool, and collected during all of the debates. He seemed like he was a real leader, with a real vision, and real decisiveness. Nixon, on the other hand, could barely perform. This led to John winning by a landslide.

Barack Obama was also famous for his ability to sway millions of crowed because of the way he spoke.

So if you’re trying to sell something using your voice, keep this in mind.

97) Good Looks

As much as some people would like to say otherwise due to unfairness, it’s true.

People like to see good-looking people.

This is the sole reason why there’s a huge modeling industry. It’s also why many celebrities just happen to look great as well.

Fortunately, this does include being well groomed. So even if you’re not a natural looker, looking sharp is still really possible.

So unless your brand revolves around the dirty, street look… then try to always look sharp. It makes people more comfortable and confident about what you’re selling.

98) Believable Proof

Just because proof is real, doesn’t mean it’s believable.

For example, lets say you’re selling a make money online product and a customer actually made 7 figures in 12 months. This is shockingly abnormal. While some people will love this message, most will be immediately skeptical. This is taking a step backwards.

You don’t just want to put up the best of the best results.

The closer you can get to “typical” results, the better. I put “typical” in quotations because you still need to focus on the ones that show great results, but at least they are believable.

99) No “Small Print”

One of the reasons people hate to do business with large corporations is all the small print.

No one really has the time or the patience to read and understand every single part of contract or warranty. There is just so much of it and in such small print. And most of the time, you can’t find it before the purchase

This is why companies that can relieve that pressure do a better job at increasing their conversion rates. There is nothing to hide. And while they also do have their own policies for legal reasons, they are not as daunting to check over.

Most companies don’t do this though.

But if you can do it and make it a selling point, you’ve got a proof element that’s rarely seen, but highly appreciated.

100) Frequency

You can debate if this is a proof element at all.

However, it does directly affect trust.

There is a reason why Fortune 500 companies will spend billions to have their logo’s wherever your eyeballs are. That’s because the more frequently you see it, the more you become familiar with it. So when the time comes to picking a company to do business with, you’re going to go with them since you’re familiar with them.

Same idea here.

The more times someone sees your landing page or at least the ad that would send them to your landing page, the more trustworthy it becomes overtime. It’s an actual legit offering, not a possible scam.

101) Removal Of Unexpected Annoyances

People hate unexpected surprises when they sign up for something.

No one wants to sign up to an email list and start receiving spam. No one wants to sign up and then start getting calls from people selling them stuff…etc

So while this is something you would definitely need to split-test, it’s generally a good idea to calm people’s nerves by telling them upfront that this is a safe “transaction” between you and them.

In the world of selling online courses, there are very few people who can top Ramit Sethi.

A grizzled veteran who’s been running I Will Teach You To Be Rich for over 10 years, has been coached by billion dollar marketing legends like Jay Abraham, has been featured in just about every big business-related magazine, and has sold millions of dollars worth of online courses, Ramit is the real deal.

His sales pages almost always lead to 7 figure online course launches.

But like David Ogilvy said, “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar”

In other words, 80% of your success comes from having a compelling headline.

So that’s what we’re going to focus on today.

I’ll analyze 5 of Ramit Sethi’s best headlines based on information he’s shared publicly about his best-selling courses and I’ll break each down to its essence and teach you not only what he did, but why and how you can use the same principles to help you model after his attention grabbing headlines.

Headline #1: Earn 1k On The Side

The Analysis:

This entire headline is based off an OLD formula that’s been used in direct mail for the longest. It’s a variation of the “Finally!” formula with a couple of important tweaks to it.

Almost immediately, he tries to create the “illusion” of proof. There is nothing in that headline that backs up any of his claims, but the fact that he just says its proven and legitimate still helps his cause.

Why?

Because it’s a big objection that his ideal customers have. The don’t want anything shady, under-the-table, or anything else even remotely scammy. So coming out clearly stating that this is not any of that helps build confidence.

Next are 2 benefits.

What’s interesting here is which benefits he picked. The second benefit and claim, $1,000/month, is the real core promise of the entire product. So it’s obvious why that one is there.

The first benefit, however, is actually there to answer an objection. Most people who want to make money by starting a side business almost always say they never have any ideas. So this particular benefit is actually a “1st step benefit”.

In other words…

It’s the 1st outcome you want to finally overcome that mental hurdle and then the followup benefit is the final outcome that you want at the end of it al. This way, you show both extremes to relay the fact you understand and cover all the bases.

The last section intensifies the headline.

How?

By specifically claiming it’s only going to take 5 hours a week. This also obviously implies that it’s not going to force you to work 80/hour workweeks.

This also allows for him to relay the fact that the whole process is simple and even easy, but without him to actually say those words. It’s implied and makes the core promise much stronger.

The Key Takeaways:Step #1) Use objection answering benefits
Step #2) Make specific claims
Step #3) Imply proof and easiness of use
Step #4) Strengthen with benefits or without drawbacks

The Template:

Finally… a [adjectives] [program/course/training…etc] to [1st step benefit] and [specific end benefit] – with [just X time needed]

Headline #2: Find Your Dream Job

The Analysis:

This is an interesting one.

The very first thing I notice is that there is no specific claim here. Everything seems to be pretty vague, but with the core promise there. In fact, based on the wording, this market seems to be at a market sophistication level 2.

Because of that, it’s really straight-forward.

Ramit starts by introducing his course, follow that up with “one-of-a-kind” features, and have it all lead up to the core promise. They key here is to expand on what this course offers and make it sound superior to everything else out there.

It’s rare to find a course having to do with making money at such a low level of market sophistication. But I guess Ramit hit the jackpot here, making the whole headline situation much easier than in other money related markets.

Moving on…

He follows up the main headline with 2 more subheadlines.

The first subheadline answers a feature to answer an objection, makes a non-specific claim as an illusion of “proof”, and ends it with the core promise. In other words, the point was to answer an objection and continue pushing the awesomeness of his course.

The second subheadline focuses on eliminating drawbacks.

This quickly eliminates the obvious objections people have about not being able to get their dream job and further intensifies the entire headline/subheadline combo as a whole. This is a hallmark of a product being sold at a market sophistication level 2.

The Key Takeaways:

1) Make sure you know your markets sophistication level
2) With high awareness, you can just introduce the product from the get-go
3) Intensify your copy by jacking up your features while eliminating drawbacks

The Template:Introducing [Course Name], The First [Course/Training/System…etc] With [One-Of-A-Kind Features] To [Benefit]

Headline #3: Zero To Launch

The Analysis:

When it comes to a “build a business” course, this particular headline has absolutely no mention of actual specific income. In fact, there’s really no straight-forward claim like you would normally see in most money related markets.

Instead, the whole point of this headline is to relay how his ideal customer really feels about his current situation in life. It’s an emotional appeal that ends in with a big promise without it feeling like a typical “build a business” course.

This is a type of headline that’s very difficult to swipe.

Why?

Because while it’s possible to break it down, the real details can only be figured out by knowing your ideal customer inside and out. Ramit knows this and it’s why he takes months to create a course. He won’t release one until he knows it’s the best course and he has all the information needed to make the best sales pitch for it.

The next subheadline does the same. It has nothing to do with making money or even building a business. It all has to do with the real desired benefit of his customers, including flexibility, confidence and freedom.

Those are the things that his customers really want.

Finally, he ends it with what seems to be a typical “Ramit Sethi practice” by positioning it as unique while combining proof elements at the same time. In this case, he uses his own sales data to claim his course is the only one like it out there.

The Takeaways:1) Use emotion based, benefit driven, “core desire” copy to sell courses about normally “hard to believe” topics
2) Keep it simple. If you focus on the above, you’ll do fine.
3) Still introduce your course and position it as one of kind, by backing it up with really good sales data

The Template:

Break The [Metaphor] [Eliminate 3 Things That Prevent Desired Benefit]
What If You Could [End Result] [Desired Benefit]?

Headline #4: Call To Action

The Analysis:

Again, Ramit opts for a basic, but still effective headline.

Call to Action is a copywriting course. Like his other courses, the main benefit is to make money. However, it’s interesting to note that he says nothing about copywriting or other forms of copy like sales pages.

That’s because copywriting is something most business owners either have never heard about or don’t fully understand. To solve this problem, he focuses on the email and connects it to the money making opportunity.

This alone builds enough curiosity to keep you reading.

Moving on…

The real power of this headline is because it never tells you “Here’s how you can make money”. It shows how he did it and promises to show you why it worked for him.

Again, Ramit does a good job at avoid the upfront “get rich quick” sales message and instead focuses on why this particular email worked for him. It also helps a lot that he has a screenshot of the email right alongside the headline.

The subheadline then supports the main headline by positioning the “secret” into a system, which he just so happens to be selling on this very page.

The Takeaways:

1) Avoid upfront promise with your personal results
2) Imply benefits
3) Position implied “secret” as a system
4) Use an image to illustrate the headline
5) If necessary, use understandable “thing” to sell a more unaware topic
6) Creating curiosity is critical

The Template:

Let Me Show You Why [X] [Achieves Desired Benefit]
In This [X], I’m Using A Strategy That [Desired Benefit]

Headline #5: 6-Figure Consulting System

The Analysis:

Strangely enough, this is Ramit’s simplest headline so far.

I say strangely because being a coach/consultant is one of the more popular “get rich quick” schemes out there right now. Yet, he avoids all financial claims except for the core promise, which is being a 6-figure consultant.

The subheadline is slightly more descriptive.

Here, he starts with how much he personally earns in consulting fee’s and promises to reveal how he does it with all of the features that follows that claim.

Besides that, there’s actually not too much to say about this headline and subheadline combo.

The only thing I can add is that he inputs adjectives into his features like “street-tested” and “barrier busting” to add a little extra oomph to his copy, but that’s about it. It’s an important lesson, but it’s a minor one when it comes to headlines.

The Takeaways:

1) Just tell people whatever it is you’re offering them
2) Sell people how you did something, not how you (the customer) can do something

The Template:

Learn The [Skill Level] [Strategies/Tactics…etc] And Actual [Systems, Process…etc] To Become A [Desired End Result]

Discover Exactly How I [Claim], Including [One-Af-A-Kind Features]

Conclusion

Yet, his headlines, while good, aren’t out of this world. They are basic, straightforward headlines that just sell the damn product. The real secret to his headlines are in positioning, research, and proof build up.

So while you do have to take into account the context, it just shows you can set your business up in a way that doesn’t require out-of-this-world sales copy and still make a lot of sales.

In the past few years, 2 “new” things have really shook up digital marketing.

The first is content upgrades. While it’s still “new” and little known compared to a lot of tactics online, it’s been quietly gaining popularity due to its sheer effectiveness.

The second is viral sharing. Every since Dropbox shocked the world with their insanely effective viral sharing feature, just about every startup entrepreneur has tried to look for a way to make it work for them.

But what if there was a way to do take these two things to help build your email list building? Even better, what if there was a way to combine these 2 tactics in the same funnel to supercharge your list building efforts?

It’s possible.

But first, lets talk about what the building blocks to make this work.

What Is A Content Upgrade And Why Should I Use It?

It used to be that everyone had a set number of lead magnets to be used across the board. With content upgrades though, that’s changed.

A content upgrade is essentially a content-specific lead magnet. So instead of picking out from your collection of already made lead magnets, you make a brand new one from scratch that further delivers value on the post it’s being offered on.

Some examples can be post-specific cheat sheets, checklists, bonus content, and downloadable versions of the post itself.

It’s not some “gimmick” or just someone’s airy fairy idea of “delivering extra value”. The reason why you should be offering content upgrades instead of standard lead magnets is because content upgrades just convert much better.

The reason why content upgrades convert higher than regular lead magnets is due to relevance. If I read a blog post about “How to burn 10 pounds in 30 days”, then a checklist summarizing the article is going to convert higher than a random “top 10 superfoods” grocery list.

In other words, the more relevant the offer is to the content, the higher the conversion rate.

What Is Viral Sharing And Why Should I Use It?

When Dropbox first started, their main mode of customer acquisition was adwords. However, the cost to acquire these customers was so high, it was impossible for them to actually be profitable. They would go out of business fast if they were to continue relying on adwords.

Their solution?

By giving away free space in exchange for sharing with a friend. When anyone talks about viral sharing, this is the example they point to because it single handedly built Dropbox and every company that tries their hand at this tactic looks towards this case study in the hopes of replicating their results.

Now, while there are some nuisances to it, the concept is simple. Create a situation where people will want to share whatever it is you want to be shared.

The great benefit to doing this is that you get both traffic and actual paying customers at no cost. The viral nature of this tactic also means fast-growth and the ability for you to create a reputation (aka a brand) out of nothing.

Vyper.IO: The Software That Combines Both To 5X Your Email Opt-Ins

If you notice any of my blog posts, you’ll see that I have a content upgrade on each one.

For the longest time, I used LeadPages purely for their Leadboxes feature. It’s pretty simple, straightforward, and got the job done.

So for all intensive purposes, I was happy.

Then, when I was introduced to Vyper.io by Kevin Tang, I was curious. I’ve been doing content upgrades for a while now, but never viral sharing. Much less both at the same time.

What the content upgrades app by Vyper.io does is allow you to set up content upgrades, create a giveaway on the thank you page, and all while being wrapped up in a nice user interface.

Check it out:

It essentially walks you through the process, step-by-step, so you’re never overwhelmed and so you get the job done without ever having to hire someone thousands of dollars to do the same thing.

Here’s an example of what pops up after someone clicks to on my content upgrade image on my blog:

What I really like about this popup is that it covers the entire screen. While most content upgrade popups will just show a box, this particular feature removes all of the distractions someone would have.

Just this alone increases conversion rates.

Now, here’s a screenshot of the thank you page:

This is where the real magic happens.

Instead of a regular thank you page that just says “thank you” and lets you download the lead magnet, Vyper.io allows you to add a step in between so you can offer yet another lead magnet in exchange for sharing the post.

Now, the question is… does this work?

Here was a quick test-run I did recently…

The main content upgrade converted 66% of people who click on my blog post image. I’ve seen similar results to this before, so I’m happy the conversion rate was at the high-end of what I usually see on my blog.

The “+29” you see at the top?

That’s how many of my new subscribers shared my post to grab the giveaway. If I did my math right, that’s about a 57% “conversion rate” from subscriber to giveaway.

The best part is that it didn’t cost me anything to get those 29 extra shares. Without Vyper.io, those 29 shares would be lost.

Of course, this is a very small sample size. Only 77 visitors. However, just that alone has me optimistic of what it could possibly do if it got 1,000 visitors who clicked on my image every time I published a new post.

In that scenario, a 50% conversion rate from visitor to email subscriber would generate 500 subscribers. Then assuming a 40% conversion rate from subscriber to giveaway, that would lead to an extra 200 shares.

In other words, it’s one of the few, if not the only, content upgrade software that helps you generate more traffic and actually exponentially grows your email list as you convert that traffic from visitor to subscriber, then subscriber to giveaway.

I’m a huge fan of Vyper.io and would recommend it to anyone who is interested at maximizing their email list size for free.

Conclusion

If you’re tired of the same ol’ list building advice, then make sure to try out content upgrades and viral sharing. By combining the conversion maximizing effect of content upgrades and viral traffic received from an effective viral sharing campaign, you’ll have a much better chance to grow your email list faster than ever before.

At its peak, The J. Peterman Company brought in $75 million dollars in sales.

In fact, the catalog was so popular and successful in the 90’s that it was even parodied in the most popular television series at the time, Seinfeld.

Unfortunately, due to some bad decisions having to do with trying to expand too quickly, the company went bankrupt in 1999. However, the company is now back up and raking in sales like it’s nobody’s business at north of $20 million a year in revenue.

What’s so special about this catalog is not in the amazing revenue numbers though, but its product descriptions.

In a world where most product descriptions are just copied and pasted from the manufacturer, the descriptions on every product from The J. Peterman catalog are some of the best in the world.

It’s rare to see such amazing copy for retail products.

And that’s why I’m going to teach you exactly how to write J Peterman’s unique and profitable product descriptions for your own ecommerce business regardless of what it is you sell.

What Makes J. Peterman Product Descriptions Different

Like I said earlier, a big problem that ecommerce businesses have is that they just copy and paste the product descriptions given to them from the manufacturer.

What you ended up getting is a bunch of boring product characteristics that mean absolutely nothing to the customer.

Like, who cares if your bottle is 3 inches in diameter? No one.

That’s not copywriting. Your customer doesn’t want to know facts. They want to “feel” what it would be like to own your product.

And that’s what makes J. Peterman product descriptions different.

While they will talk about the actual product characteristics, that’s not the highlight of the product description itself.

What they do instead is focus on the story.

Just take 5 minutes to scour the J. Peterman site and you’ll quickly see how every product takes on a personality of its own.

Best of all, this type of copy is not only unique, but it creates an experience for customer.

This leads to a point of differentiation, a stronger brand, a raving fan base of customers, and more sales than you can possibly fathom.

Now here are 7 different types of J. Peteraman product description types that you can model after as soon as tonight if you wanted too.

Product Description #1: The “Who Wears This” Story

“Where sailors and fisherman have worn snug short-sleeved shirts like this one for centuries”

“I saw a man wearing this shirt using a shucking knife; he was faster”

“They were built like great sagging old bulls; in this shirt, they looked formidable”

In this story, there is no mention of product characteristics until after the story is told. Instead, they focus on who would normally be wearing this type of shirt.

In this case, sailors and fishermen would wear it. They didn’t stop there though. They also got into how these men were stronger, faster, and more capable than the average man.

It wasn’t just any man who would wear this shirt. Only a man who lived at sea and had the body, skills, and experience to show for it. It’s the father of all T-Shirts for crying out loud.

And most importantly, if you are or wished to be one of these men, then you would also wear a shirt like this one.

Questions To Help You Write A “Who Wears This” Story:

Who or what type of people would use your product?

What makes those people different? (Physically, emotionally, psychologically)

Where did those people come from?

What did those people look like?

How did those people talk?

What did those people do for a living or hobby?

Product Description #2: The “Old Problem, Perfect Solution” Story

This is an interesting type of product description because it takes the old “problem/solution” angle to a whole new level.

The first thing you’ll notice is that it positions the necessity of having a briefcase by mentioning how it’s been a need for a millennia.

There’s nothing new about needing to carry around things. But that doesn’t make them any less important. In fact, “we obsess over what to carry in them”.

And then the story goes into the exact expectations one should have when picking a briefcase. Naturally, this briefcase solves all of those problems.

Finally, they get into the product characteristics including where it was produced, who made it, what specific features it has, and more.

Questions To Help You Write A “Old Problem/Perfect Solution” Story:

What’s the main problem your product solves?

How did that problem manifest itself in years prior? (The further out in history, the better)

What are the specific expectations that a product like yours should be able to meet or even exceed?

Where was your product produced?

What specific features are most attractive to your customer?

Product Description #3: The “World’s Most Interesting Person” Story

In this example, the woman is traveling around the world and doing exciting things. This includes everything from hot air ballooning to camping out in the mountains of El Salvador.

The thing is though, the purpose of the story wasn’t really to say that people who wear this product do X.

Instead, it’s about what this product represents. In this case, it would be the idea of “interesting”.

Just think about the World’s Most Interesting Man ads from Dos Equis. If he drinks Dos Equis, it says something about the brand.

And that’s the way you want to think about this product description.

Questions To Help You Write A “World’s Most Interesting Person” Story:

If you could summarize the “dream” world of your prospect to one word, like interesting, what would it be?

What would that person be doing in their wildest dreams as related to your keyword?

How could you bring that person back to reality, but with the feeling still lingering?

How did you find that product so you could offer it to your customer?

Product Description #4: The “Discovery” Story

This one is especially useful if you actually have a real discovery story, but even if you don’t, you can still make it work.

In this story, there are multiple things going on. If you notice, he’s very specific and goes into exact detail of how he found the product.

Just look at some of the descriptions he uses: Paris antique shop, silver-handled brushes, encased in wood, faint aroma, and custom-made for a rich traveler a century ago.

It feels like you’re actually there along side him looking at the bottle inside the antique shop in Paris.

He then goes on to talk about the “discovery” of what the product was made up of as well.

And finally, it ends in a benefit rich paragraph with “Women like the way it smells on a man”.

Questions To Help You Write A “Discovery” Story:

In what city or country did you find the product?

Where exactly in that area did you find it?

What was around the product before you found it?

How did the product look like?

What where some of the qualities of that product?

What’s the main benefit of buying that product?

Product Description #5: The “Only For People Like Us” Story

What if you specifically said that only a certain type of person could use your product?

And to take it even a step further, those who didn’t fit under that type would then be looked at as that type from the perspective of others?

It would instantly connect with someone who has those beliefs about themselves.

This description is short but filled with powerful statements.

This hat is for leaders, period. But if you happen to be a follower and wear it, you’ll become a leader anyway. That’s the power this hat gives you.

Questions To Help You Write A “Only For People Like Us” Story:

What type of people is your product for?

For who is not for?

How will other people react when they see it on you?

What is the product made of and where do those ingredients/materials come from?

Product Description #6: The “Core Trigger” Story

Almost all products have triggers that get people to buy them.

And so this type product description focuses on that trigger and how the world reacts to them as they use the product.

It’s also benefit rich. For example, if you’re thin, it’ll make you look even more thinner. If you’re more voluptuous, it’ll drive everyone around crazy for you.

The women who buy this want to feel beautiful, they want to be looked at sexually, and they want to attract attention.

Questions To Help You Write A “Core Trigger” Story:

What are the triggers that would get your prospect to buy?

Using that trigger, how does the world now look like?

How would people react to your customer while they use the product?

Product Description #7: The “Comparison” Story

Of all the examples I’ve shown so far, this one is the shortest one by far.

In this one, they make the comparison between what the product is made of to a completely different, but relatable product made out of the same stuff.

In this case, they compare the wallet to the dark pocket of leather in the middle of a baseball glove.

Making this type of comparison allows you to better imagine how that product feels like because you make that connection to another product you do know how it feels.

Questions To Help You Write A “Comparison” Story:

What is your product made of?

What other product is made up of the same material, but is also well known to your target market so they can make the connection between the two?

Conclusion

If I were to build my own ecommerce site right now, I would model most of the product descriptions from The J. Peterman Company. It’s quite possible the most flexible way to come up with unique product descriptions for any type of physical product.

And now with these 7 examples, you can do the same for your ecommerce site so you can differentiate your business and generate more sales almost overnight.